Neil Diamond - The Christmas Album

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Title: The Christmas Album
Artist: Neil Diamond
Audio CD (September 22, 1992)
Original Release Date: 1992
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Christmas
Format: Free Lossless Audio Codec


Track Listing:

01. O Come, O Come Emmanuel/We Three Kings Of Orient Are
02. Silent Night
03. Little Drummer Boy
04. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
05. The Christmas Song
06. Morning Has Broken
07. Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
08. White Christmas
09. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. Jingle Bell Rock
11. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
12. Silver Bells
13. You Make It Feel Like Christmas
14. O Holy Night


Amazon Review:
Neil Diamond has always fancied himself a man of many styles, which probably helps explain why he tries to flaunt each and every one of them on this diverse, sometimes dizzying Christmas disc. He plays it relatively straight on "Silent Night" and "The Christmas Song," but really lets loose on a version of "White Christmas" that recalls the doo-wop of his teen years in the 1950s. Diamond even expands his palette to include a choir-accompanied take on John Lennon's pacifist classic "Happy Christmas (War is Over)." It's the kind of intermingling that makes his fans go wild, but casual admirers should watch out for those stylistic U-turns.

Allmusic Review:
Neil Diamond's first Christmas album, released in 1992, was a million-seller, but even so, it seemed a little bit soon to be releasing another one only two years later. Not that it much matters which Christmas season you release a Christmas album in. Working again with producer Peter Asher, Diamond addressed 15 seasonal songs that hadn't made it onto the first album, sometimes coming up with unusual arrangements, such as a barbershop quartet version of a medley of "Deck The Halls" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and a reggae version of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" complete with exhortations to children everywhere. But, especially toward the end of the album, Diamond took a more traditional approach, singing some of the more religious Christmas songs with an orchestra and chorus.